En route from Calgary, Alberta, to Honolulu for a hastily planned family reunion, Megan James gazed out the tiny coach window at the seemingly tranquil Pacific Ocean below and tried to imagine the pummeling 25-foot waves and furious 55-knot winds that nearly claimed the lives of her husband, eldest son and brother-in-law just two days earlier.
"I don’t really comprehend what they went through and how crazy it must have been," James said shortly after arriving at Honolulu Airport late Thursday night. "I looked out at the water, and I couldn’t imagine them floating out there."
Indeed, the Jameses’ bizarre, wonderful high-seas survival story has spread faster than the family’s capacity to process it. Within hours of learning her family was safe aboard the 900-foot container ship Horizon Reliance, Megan James said she was inundated with interview requests from Canadian media, an endless stream of inquiry from reporters eager to know the details of how her husband, Bradley; 9-year-old son, West; and brother-in-law Mitchell — on a monthlong voyage from Mexico to Hawaii — suddenly found themselves stranded aboard a disabled sailboat hundreds of miles from shore; how the trio escaped harm when waves smashed their boat against the Reliance, which had been dispatched to rescue them; and how Mitchell was saved relatively quickly but how Bradley and West fought exhaustion and hypothermia for two hours while the crew of the Reliance worked feverishly to reclaim them from the roiling waters.
"During a stopover in Vancouver, there was this giant TV monitor, and I saw pictures of my family flashing across it," Megan James said. "It was a little surreal."
James’ reunion with her family was delayed by Bradley James’ frustrated attempts to navigate the airport’s maze of roadways. But when the Jeep finally pulled over to the curb outside Baggage Claim Area E, the couple shared a long-overdue hug and kiss. (Alas, West, exhausted from a long day of interviews, had fallen asleep in the front passenger seat.)
Like his wife, Bradley James said he hadn’t had time (or sleep) sufficient to begin to truly reflect on what had transpired over the previous 48 hours. After arriving in Honolulu early Thursday morning, James spent the day accommodating local and international media, polishing his account of events over dozens of mind-numbingly identical interviews.
"It hasn’t really sunk in yet," he said. "Driving over here to the airport, (West) and I finally had a chance to talk about what happened a little bit, and he said to me, ‘We were swimming in the deep end, weren’t we?’"
James said the 38-foot sailboat, owned by Mitchell James, had been having problems almost as soon as it left Puerto Vallarta on Jan. 11, requiring numerous improvised fixes along the way. Still, they were able to sail to within 280 miles of Hilo before truly significant problems set in. Shifting winds initially kept them from moving closer to the islands. Later the seas turned violent, leading to a torn sail and, as conditions worsened, a broken mast.
"Megan was the first one I called when we started getting into trouble," James said. "I did what no husband should ever do to his wife. I said, ‘Honey, we’re 300 miles from Hilo, and I think we may have a problem. Can you get me the number for the Coast Guard in Hilo?"
Megan James said she was concerned, but assured by her husband’s seeming confidence that everything was going to be fine.
"I figured he’d call in a couple of days and tell me what happened," she said. "It didn’t really occur to me what might be involved. When you see these things on TV, the Coast Guard shows up and everything is fine. In reality there is a lot that can happen."
James said she realized the seriousness of what occurred during the rescue when her husband called shortly after being brought aboard the Reliance.
"Brad is built to deal with whatever situation he might find himself in — that’s him," she said. "He’s not very emotional, but when I talked to him, he got choked up telling me what happened."
To be sure, while Bradley James said the impact of the incident on his own life can only be understood over time, he said his gratitude to the captain and crew of the Reliance is perfectly crystalized.
"They kept their lights shining on us to make sure we didn’t drift away, but they weren’t sure that West was still with me," he said. "Everybody was working together to save us, and the crew told me later that the captain maneuvered that ship in ways it wasn’t designed to maneuver. I was the last one in the water, and when they lifted me aboard, we all lost it. I don’t remember my mother holding me as a baby, but I remember the feeling I had being on that ship," he said. "I felt safe there.
"What they were able to do to save us was phenomenal, and I’m very grateful," he said.
Despite the ordeal, James said he is eager to help his brother get another boat and head out on another high-seas adventure.
Megan James said she wouldn’t have it any other way. "I’m totally cool with it," she said. "I don’t think that you should stop doing something just because something bad happens."
The couple said West, the oldest of five James children, is doing remarkably well and enjoying the media attention. Bradley James said that once home they will seek counseling to make sure he is able to deal with the trauma in a healthy way. In the meantime, however, the family finds itself in the enviable predicament of being together in Hawaii with nothing to do but hit the beach and enjoy each other’s company. Bradley James’ parents are due to arrive from Australia next week.
"We’re just going to hang out for a while," Megan James said.
